January 14, 2004
Black Box Voting in Washington
I got angry while voting in the just-for-show primary yesterday, and not because I couldn't vote for Clark, Lieberman, Edwards, Kerry or Gephardt, since I wasn't going to vote for them anyway.
I got angry because the fancy new touch-screen voting machines are of the black-box variety, which is to say that they don't print out a reciept. Therefore, my vote could have been registered incorrectly in the machine and later reported as such, without any opportunity for a recount using a piece of paper I verified before dropping in a box. No real records exist. Therefore, many people are proposing that all touch-screen machines print out a slip of paper with which each voter can personally verify and can later be checked against computer results for any funny business.
On the DC Board of Elections and Ethics site, I found this plan for compliance under the Help America Vote Act.
It says that each of the District's 142 precints have both Optech Eagle P III optical scan machines (the inane connect-the-arrow forms) and at least one Sequoia Edge Direct Recording Equipment machine.
It didn't take much Googling to find out just how bad these machines are.
In the IEEE Spectrum:
"Even more risky is the fact that at least one machine's firmware, that of the Sequoia Edge, can be reprogrammed through a port on the voting machine kiosk. Although this port is "secured" during the voting session by a flimsy, numbered, plastic tab, it is exposed after the election, providing essentially no protection against reprogramming."
Everybody who voted in Tuesday's primary (all five of you, I fear) should complain to BOEE about this. Personally, I'm writing a letter. If you would like to do the same, here's their address:
Board of Elections and Ethics
441 4th Street, NW, Suite 250 North
Washington, DC 20001
And their phone number:
(202) 727-2525
Now start complaining like I know you can! Just pretend it's an unfair parking ticket or a weak $10 martini...
Posted by rj3 at January 14, 2004 11:31 AM
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Comments
Not really on-topic, but this piece from "Le Monde" is interesting...a perspective and history of "Bush Haters." It's in French, and while the Fish probably isn't much help, but I figure maybe someone also reads French and will enjoy it.
http://www.lemonde.fr/web/article/0,1-0@2-3230,36-348808,0.html
Posted by: Michael at January 15, 2004 1:43 PM
You and your ability to speak languages other than English! Millions of people around the world learn English to communicate with Americans and you devalue their hard work by understanding their native tongue. For shame.
Posted by: Randolph at January 15, 2004 2:50 PM